Alleged Plot to Kill al-Hassan Brings Back Telecom Data to the Spotlight

Confusion on telecom data has become a new source of contention after Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui reportedly withheld information from the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch over an alleged plot to assassinate its chief Col. Wissam al-Hassan.

According to An Nahar daily published Monday, Sehnaoui, who is loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, gave the Intelligence Branch information on telecom data on Friday for only 24 hours after he was informed about the alleged plot.

The minister was in the past 13 days refusing to reveal any data after he agreed with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel during a meeting of parliament’s telecom committee to control the amount of information handed over to security forces out of concern for the infringement of people’s liberties.

“Agreement was reached at the telecom committee meeting in the presence of Sehnaoui and Charbel around two weeks ago to guide the obtainment of data … and abide by the law that notes the need to limit the demand for the data depending on the nature of the security flaw,” As Safir newspaper said.

It added the law also calls to accompany the data obtainment request with a judicial authorization that would be submitted to the phone call interception command center at the interior ministry, which in its turn would coordinate with the telecom minister on the needed steps.

In remarks to An Nahar, Sehnaoui confirmed that the decision to limit the data release was made during the committee meeting after Charbel stressed that there was no need to hand over the Intelligence Branch information on a daily basis.

“There are two types of data: Those linked to the wiretapping of all Lebanese and in all of Lebanon and the data linked exclusively to certain security cases,” he said.

The minister stressed that he will discuss the issue during a cabinet session on Tuesday.

Charbel sought to limit the tension on the issue after the opposition-led March 14 forces accused Sehnaoui of intentionally withholding the data for political reasons given that the head of the ISF, Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, is pro-March 14.

Charbel discussed the issue with President Michel Suleiman on Monday morning.

He told An Nahar that he would also meet with the telecom minister to settle the issue after the “misunderstanding” that created the tumult.

But Sehnaoui denied in remarks to OTV that he would hold talks with Charbel, saying he would only discuss the issue during Tuesday’s cabinet session.

The head of the telecom committee, MP Hassan Fadlallah, said the committee will visit on Tuesday the wiretapping control center at the interior ministry that was inaugurated in November.

During ex-Premier Saad Hariri’s tenure, then Telecom Minister Charbel Nahhas, who is also loyal to Aoun, was accused by the March 14 forces and Rifi of ignoring requests for data linked to the probe into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination.

He claimed that he ignored the requests of documents relating to the phone records of Lebanese citizens because they were contrary to Lebanese law as concerns the secrecy of telecom records.